It is time I take my own advice. A few blogs back I wrote about some fun ideas to flavour water in a bid to help us drink more of this elixir of life. Well, a few migraines later, although I don’t know the cause of these attacks, I have examined my diet and decided to make a simple change: cut out mugs of tea and coffee and replace them with hot water instead. I say this change is simple, but it is no less easy to stick to! Like many, I don’t find drinking plain water easy, especially on a cool day. I love teas, English Breakfast blend, Earl Grey, Lapsangs, Assams, to the Japanese Genmaicha, green tea with roasted rice, I love them all and each has its place, depending on my mood. Unfortunately I love them just a little too much. I drink them far more frequently than I should, and treat them like a regular thirst quencher, rather than a pick-me-up. I definitely did not take “everything in moderation” carefully. I reckon the excessive caffeine may have contributed to these migraines.
In Chinese Traditional Medicine (TCM), apparently some body types should not take certain types of teas due to their “cooling” effects to the body. This really means if one feels cold in their limbs and does not fare well in cooler temperatures, their blood is “cool”. So if they drink teas from leaves of a “cooling” kind, even it is steaming hot when consumed, there are some unhealthy effects to the body. I’m not well versed in traditional Chinese medicine in any shape or form, but after speaking to a family member who has years of experience in this field, she recommended me to take a delicious and fragrant infusion of red dates and rose buds. These two natural and caffeine free ingredients have healthful properties, that are said to be anti inflammatory, help one to relax, aid digestion and help overall skin quality and beautify one’s complexion.
I have yet to notice any changes but just looking at the tea is already doing me good, it has pretty colours and has one of my favourites, pink! The fragrance is just beautiful, you can really smell the rose coming through. The taste is sweet, not cloyingly or like you have added honey to it. The red dates give off their natural sweetness and if you eat them afterwards, it is even better for you.
One thing to note though, the rose buds need to be organic and are edible grade, definitely not chemically treated for home decorations or potpourri! For that reason, this is not a low cost tea like the mass produced teabags but you only use a few in a cup. The red dates, which are also called Jujube, can be bought online or in Chinese and Korean supermarkets.
I don’t know how long I can go “cold turkey” without taking any caffeinated teas. Nearly 3 full days in and I still feel headache-y and sleepy, especially in the afternoon. I guess months of excessive caffeine cannot be weaned off in just a few days. I have to admit though, I will still drink my favourite teas, but definitely in moderation from now on and ideally alternate with glasses of plain water. Now I have discovered this new delicious blend, I think weaning off caffeine would be a far more delightful experience.
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